1 00:00:01,290 --> 00:00:02,370 Good morning. Good morning. 2 00:00:02,370 --> 00:00:07,260 This is a brand new podcast and we are going to look at the book of Psalms. 3 00:00:07,770 --> 00:00:11,820 And I'm going to show you how to meditate on God's holy word, 4 00:00:11,820 --> 00:00:14,970 just in case you don't know how, or maybe you need a refresher. 5 00:00:14,970 --> 00:00:18,570 Cause I know I wish someone had walked me through on this, 6 00:00:19,170 --> 00:00:19,980 but I will say this, 7 00:00:19,980 --> 00:00:23,340 the number one thing that's going to help you understand God's holy word is to 8 00:00:23,340 --> 00:00:26,460 read his holy word and you need to get a good Bible. 9 00:00:27,090 --> 00:00:30,180 I have several translations. I love reading God's holy word. 10 00:00:30,180 --> 00:00:34,830 And the reason why I love to get different translations is because the 11 00:00:34,830 --> 00:00:37,530 original language of the Bible, 12 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:40,800 the original text was in Greek and Hebrew, 13 00:00:40,830 --> 00:00:44,640 and then it was translated into Latin and then possibly some other languages. 14 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:47,430 And then down to English, English is a dead language, 15 00:00:47,460 --> 00:00:51,840 meaning it's not really elegant language that is used to translate into other 16 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:55,770 languages per se. So that's why it's good to get multiple translations, 17 00:00:55,770 --> 00:01:00,180 but I am using the it's called the new international version Bible 18 00:01:00,810 --> 00:01:05,280 and it is the NIV leadership Bible and it's reader to leader in 15 minutes a 19 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:09,150 day. I love this Bible so far. It has been really wonderful. 20 00:01:09,150 --> 00:01:10,440 It gives great insight. 21 00:01:10,890 --> 00:01:15,180 I also like how it gives timelines because I like historical data because I love 22 00:01:15,180 --> 00:01:19,710 documentaries. And so we'll go ahead and start, start with the book of Psalms. 23 00:01:19,740 --> 00:01:23,130 And I start with the book of Psalms because it is one of my favorite books ever 24 00:01:23,130 --> 00:01:28,050 since I was a little girl and it's one of the easiest books to understand God's 25 00:01:28,050 --> 00:01:32,670 love. And it's just very comforting because you know, the book is Psalms, 26 00:01:32,670 --> 00:01:36,930 but they're also written in a form of a song as an S N O 27 00:01:37,590 --> 00:01:38,910 S O N G S. 28 00:01:39,780 --> 00:01:42,600 And it's one of those things that somewhat, 29 00:01:42,660 --> 00:01:46,950 sometimes these are written in kind of a, a melody type fashion. 30 00:01:47,430 --> 00:01:50,130 And other times it's written more poetically. 31 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:53,670 And other times it's written just in a kind loving manner, 32 00:01:53,700 --> 00:01:57,420 but not necessarily to stringed instruments, because sometimes all these songs, 33 00:01:58,230 --> 00:02:02,100 it will say to be song a certain way, 34 00:02:02,100 --> 00:02:05,130 or you have well, like for example, in Psalm eight, 35 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,340 it says for the director of music, according to get it, 36 00:02:08,370 --> 00:02:10,620 and I'm not sure if that's how it's supposed to pronounce that. 37 00:02:10,620 --> 00:02:13,410 Cause I haven't seen that before, but, um, 38 00:02:14,270 --> 00:02:19,020 says that that is probably a musical term and it says a Psalm of 39 00:02:19,020 --> 00:02:19,470 David. 40 00:02:19,470 --> 00:02:24,090 So a lot of these were written to comfort the heart. 41 00:02:24,450 --> 00:02:26,670 And I think this is something that we could all use, 42 00:02:26,670 --> 00:02:30,090 whether whether you believe in God, God or not, 43 00:02:30,090 --> 00:02:33,780 I think this is a great way to comfort your heart and to give you hope in your 44 00:02:33,780 --> 00:02:37,410 life. If you do believe in God, you know, 45 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:40,710 for sure use this along with your prayer life. 46 00:02:41,550 --> 00:02:44,220 And sometimes what I would do when I would get home from church. 47 00:02:44,250 --> 00:02:46,890 Like if I didn't take communion at church, I would come home, 48 00:02:47,340 --> 00:02:50,700 read a couple of readings from the holy word of God and then take communion. 49 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:53,310 You know, you can incorporate God's holy word into your life. 50 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:57,210 So let's take a look at the first song. It said, 51 00:02:57,210 --> 00:03:01,480 bless it as the one who does not walk and step with the wicked or stand in the 52 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:05,020 way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers. 53 00:03:05,410 --> 00:03:09,760 But whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on his law day and 54 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:14,110 night, that person is like a tree planted by streams of water, 55 00:03:14,380 --> 00:03:19,210 which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither whatever they do 56 00:03:19,210 --> 00:03:21,730 prospers not. So the wicked, 57 00:03:22,090 --> 00:03:24,730 they are like chaff that the wind blows away. 58 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:29,380 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor centers in the assembly 59 00:03:29,380 --> 00:03:33,160 of the righteous for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, 60 00:03:33,190 --> 00:03:35,380 but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. 61 00:03:36,970 --> 00:03:39,700 So here's how I look at a Psalm like that. 62 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:45,430 I look at it line by line or verse by verse or first thing I do is I sit and 63 00:03:45,430 --> 00:03:48,610 meditate. You know, what is this song? Speaking to me? 64 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:52,660 W what is God trying to tell me through this song? So over the years, 65 00:03:52,750 --> 00:03:56,890 the holy spirit has guided me in different things through this particular song, 66 00:03:57,460 --> 00:04:00,520 because every time I read God's holy word, I learned something new. 67 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:04,060 That's what I love about this book. It is wonderful because it's it's, 68 00:04:04,330 --> 00:04:07,060 even though it's a book it's not dead, it is a living, 69 00:04:07,060 --> 00:04:11,620 breathing document and Testament of God's holy covenant with us, his word, 70 00:04:11,650 --> 00:04:15,010 his promises, and his love for us. So it's living and breathing. 71 00:04:15,370 --> 00:04:19,540 It's still live. And you know that because of how God loves you. 72 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:21,820 So let's take a look here. It says, 73 00:04:21,820 --> 00:04:26,500 blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the 74 00:04:26,500 --> 00:04:31,120 way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers 75 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:32,680 right there. 76 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:36,220 The first thing I thought of was to be careful who you keep company with. 77 00:04:37,390 --> 00:04:40,990 And I remember when I was in high school, there were some people that, you know, 78 00:04:40,990 --> 00:04:43,900 they may have seemed funny, but they were not good people to be around. 79 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:48,460 They just had a very kind of disturbing, twisted sense of humor, 80 00:04:48,490 --> 00:04:52,600 like so much so that it wasn't even funny at times. But I just thought, 81 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:56,890 you know, is that really who I want to be around? And those teenagers, 82 00:04:56,890 --> 00:05:00,820 they got into really weird forms of trouble. And I was like, you know, 83 00:05:00,820 --> 00:05:02,860 I don't want to be associated with people like that. 84 00:05:02,860 --> 00:05:07,270 Like if they can't act normal, then I don't want to be around that. 85 00:05:07,270 --> 00:05:09,250 And you're probably thinking, well, they're teenagers. Well, 86 00:05:09,340 --> 00:05:13,210 I think a lot of adults give permission to teenagers to act however they want 87 00:05:13,210 --> 00:05:17,320 when they shouldn't. Um, teenagers are still minors in the, 88 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:18,820 in the eyes of the law. 89 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:23,320 And what some teenagers need to know is that there are some laws that if you 90 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,000 break, you will be tried as an adult. 91 00:05:25,570 --> 00:05:29,290 So it's important that you be careful who you hang around, who you listen to. 92 00:05:29,290 --> 00:05:32,740 And if you have children, if you have teenagers, you are the adult. 93 00:05:33,340 --> 00:05:35,830 And it's important that you train them in the right way. 94 00:05:36,490 --> 00:05:39,670 That doesn't mean get a Bible and Joseph beat them over the head with it. 95 00:05:39,910 --> 00:05:44,620 It means just day by day step-by-step, you know, train and then character, 96 00:05:44,620 --> 00:05:49,360 character building, um, attributes that is really important for young people. 97 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:51,280 And it says, 98 00:05:51,280 --> 00:05:55,090 but whose delight is in the wall of the Lord and who meditates on his law day 99 00:05:55,090 --> 00:05:59,390 and night. Now, some people might read that literally and think that, oh, 100 00:05:59,390 --> 00:06:02,900 you've got to lock yourself in your room and read your Bible all day every day, 101 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:05,600 and like never leave your house and not be a part of society. 102 00:06:05,930 --> 00:06:07,400 That's not what that is talking about. 103 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,820 When it's talking about taking delight in the law of the Lord, 104 00:06:10,820 --> 00:06:13,880 that means you're taking delight in his protection of you. 105 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:18,770 He guards and protects you. And it really comes down to that. You know, 106 00:06:18,770 --> 00:06:21,350 that your heavenly father is good and true, and that he loves you. 107 00:06:22,190 --> 00:06:25,650 The next part is meditating on his law day night. Well, that, like I just said, 108 00:06:25,650 --> 00:06:29,840 it doesn't mean just only reading his word and never reading anything else. 109 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:33,860 What that's talking about is knowing God's holy word and having it in your heart 110 00:06:34,280 --> 00:06:37,520 and knowing and believing in the goodness of God. Because for example, 111 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:41,660 when I'm going for walks, I walk anywhere from three to maybe five miles a day, 112 00:06:41,660 --> 00:06:44,150 and that's not including the running that I do because I'm training for a 113 00:06:44,150 --> 00:06:47,480 marathon, but there are a lot of times that when I'm walking or running, 114 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:49,520 I meditate on God's holy word in my heart, 115 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:53,600 or I'm praying to God because you don't have to be kneeling by your bed to pray. 116 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:54,440 You don't have to, 117 00:06:54,830 --> 00:06:59,780 you'll make a huge amount of outward signs of prayer to pray 118 00:07:00,290 --> 00:07:01,070 if anything, 119 00:07:01,070 --> 00:07:05,180 that's the direct opposite of what we're supposed supposed to do when we pray. 120 00:07:05,690 --> 00:07:09,410 And we really want to have a one-on-one and it's a serious one-on-one with God, 121 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:12,710 we're supposed to go to like a prayer room, 122 00:07:12,710 --> 00:07:16,730 or you can go to your upper room as it says in the Bible and you know, 123 00:07:16,730 --> 00:07:21,220 or your closet, and just meditate and be alone with God and talk to him, 124 00:07:21,230 --> 00:07:23,810 have a serious conversation with them. You know, 125 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:28,310 a good relationship is one that is not haughty, 126 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:30,860 meaning you're not doing it just to be seen. 127 00:07:31,460 --> 00:07:36,260 So it's important that your prayer life be private. That doesn't mean that it, 128 00:07:36,260 --> 00:07:39,020 Hey, if you're out and about, and you need to stop and pray for a moment, 129 00:07:39,020 --> 00:07:40,520 then for sure, stop and pray. 130 00:07:40,970 --> 00:07:44,450 But the most common way that I am praying is I'm praying while I'm cooking 131 00:07:44,450 --> 00:07:48,110 breakfast. You know, it's just a silent prayer within my heart. 132 00:07:48,140 --> 00:07:51,290 I'm not making a big to-do. Yes. I'm scrambling eggs. Yes. 133 00:07:51,290 --> 00:07:55,090 I'm baking bread and toasting toast and having bacon. 134 00:07:55,610 --> 00:07:59,060 And other times I'm, I'm praying while I'm driving. And it's just a, 135 00:07:59,180 --> 00:08:02,780 just a soft prayer within my heart. It's not some big to do. 136 00:08:02,990 --> 00:08:05,000 I don't always have music on while I'm praying. 137 00:08:05,750 --> 00:08:10,370 I don't always have a particular prayer music or prayer song because I love all 138 00:08:10,370 --> 00:08:11,540 different kinds of music. 139 00:08:12,140 --> 00:08:15,890 Like I've tried to do the whole prayer music thing and just listen to one type. 140 00:08:15,890 --> 00:08:19,640 And it just, it drives me nuts because I want to listen to everything, you know, 141 00:08:19,670 --> 00:08:22,520 as long as it's not extremely vulgar, you know, 142 00:08:22,610 --> 00:08:24,350 I like all different kinds of music. 143 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:28,340 So I don't pigeonhole myself into one way of thinking or one way of praying 144 00:08:28,770 --> 00:08:32,870 another way that I pray as I pray while I'm walking. And I love that. 145 00:08:32,870 --> 00:08:37,550 Cause it's, you know, people just say, oh, well, I, I don't, I don't pray. 146 00:08:37,550 --> 00:08:41,630 I meditate. Well, technically prayer is a form of meditation. 147 00:08:42,110 --> 00:08:43,610 And if you're meditating, 148 00:08:43,650 --> 00:08:45,740 you need to make sure that you're meditating on the right things. 149 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:49,610 And the right things are everything that is good and holy and true, 150 00:08:49,730 --> 00:08:53,510 and that come from God. So, because I look at it this way, 151 00:08:53,510 --> 00:08:54,920 God will always lead you in the right. 152 00:08:55,860 --> 00:08:59,910 Like I've learned over the years to not rely on my own thinking. You know, 153 00:09:00,060 --> 00:09:01,290 I need to rely on God. 154 00:09:01,290 --> 00:09:04,020 And it took me a long time to understand that because I thought, well, you know, 155 00:09:04,020 --> 00:09:04,800 I'm an adult. 156 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:07,620 I'm supposed to know how to live my life and do those kinds of things. 157 00:09:07,650 --> 00:09:11,880 That's not what that's talking about. Yes. God wants us to be full grown adults. 158 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:15,960 You know, not act like little toddlers or we'll toddlers or little kids, 159 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:20,940 but what it means to completely rely on God is that you rely on God 160 00:09:21,330 --> 00:09:24,390 in that stage of life. Like when I was a child, 161 00:09:24,420 --> 00:09:27,720 if I was to completely rely on God, I would be looking to him for food, water, 162 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:30,270 and shelter all the time. But when I was a child, 163 00:09:30,330 --> 00:09:34,350 my parents were helping to provide that. So then when I became a teenager, 164 00:09:34,380 --> 00:09:38,700 which mind you, my relationship with God was not very good for many, many years, 165 00:09:39,150 --> 00:09:43,230 probably the first 20 to 30 years of my life. It was very tumultuous. 166 00:09:43,230 --> 00:09:46,950 It was not the best. I would have moments of happiness, 167 00:09:47,250 --> 00:09:51,000 but I'm closer to God now that ever have been, and I'm 37 years old. 168 00:09:51,330 --> 00:09:55,860 And I'm very thankful for that. And so, um, you know, when you're a teenager, 169 00:09:56,490 --> 00:10:00,060 you might be relying on God to help you pass the test. You know, 170 00:10:00,060 --> 00:10:02,730 things like that. When you get into college, you know, 171 00:10:02,730 --> 00:10:07,230 you might rely on God to get you home safely because you were drinking too much, 172 00:10:07,350 --> 00:10:12,300 which more than likely the Lord will try and tell you don't drink and drive 173 00:10:12,300 --> 00:10:16,080 and don't ever drink like that. Again, you know, in college you might be having, 174 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:20,670 God help you with, um, your, your test and to help you graduate. You know, 175 00:10:20,670 --> 00:10:23,010 when you get out of college, you know, 176 00:10:23,070 --> 00:10:26,670 your next assignment might be to get a job, you know, a good full-time job. 177 00:10:26,670 --> 00:10:30,360 So you might go to God and ask him for help to help you get a really good 178 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:33,870 full-time job. And then you have, maybe you might want to get married. 179 00:10:33,870 --> 00:10:36,560 So you would go to God, ask you, or you might go to God, 180 00:10:36,570 --> 00:10:41,520 ask him to help you find a spouse because I have dated for years and years and 181 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:44,520 years, I'm not married. I do want to get married someday. 182 00:10:44,940 --> 00:10:46,500 I just haven't found the right guy yet. 183 00:10:46,830 --> 00:10:51,060 So what I learned took me a long time to realize this was go to God, 184 00:10:51,060 --> 00:10:55,590 but that request, because he can find me the right man, the right man, that's, 185 00:10:55,590 --> 00:10:58,440 that's just for me. And that, you know, will have a wonderful, 186 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:02,340 loving relationship and a wonderful, very blessed marriage. 187 00:11:02,850 --> 00:11:05,100 And when I say super blessed, it, 188 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:09,090 I don't mean like being super religious and that we're just going to sit and 189 00:11:09,090 --> 00:11:12,240 read our Bibles all day. I actually don't want that at all. Um, 190 00:11:12,270 --> 00:11:15,960 I do read my Bible and I hope that whoever I'm married, you know, 191 00:11:15,990 --> 00:11:19,080 likes to read a Bible, but, you know, I would, 192 00:11:19,140 --> 00:11:23,340 I would be open to marrying someone that's either atheist or agnostic at this 193 00:11:23,340 --> 00:11:28,140 point in my life because Christians, at least the ones I've been around, 194 00:11:28,230 --> 00:11:32,100 sometimes they can be really extreme and I don't always enjoy being around them. 195 00:11:32,130 --> 00:11:35,520 Like they kind of Christians that I enjoy being around are ones that are not 196 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:37,800 Bible thumpers. They're not there to shame and blame. 197 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:41,550 And I've learned just from my working experience as a business consultant, 198 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:47,100 that the number one people that I enjoy being around or people that are 199 00:11:47,100 --> 00:11:49,710 atheists or agnostics, because they're not religious, 200 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:54,670 they're not brow beating you. I think Christianity, you know, 201 00:11:54,700 --> 00:11:57,760 it is a wonderful religion. And I do believe it is the one true faith. 202 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:01,690 What I don't like is when Christians take it to the extreme and they use it as a 203 00:12:01,690 --> 00:12:04,390 way to condemn people when that's not our job, you know, 204 00:12:04,390 --> 00:12:08,830 we're supposed to bring people to Christ, not push them away. And I've learned, 205 00:12:08,830 --> 00:12:13,270 you know, I really just want peace in my life. And you know, there, 206 00:12:13,270 --> 00:12:16,480 there are times that I meet really good Christian men. And then it's like, 207 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:19,150 it's like, once we start dating, it just goes south. 208 00:12:19,870 --> 00:12:21,250 It just doesn't go very well. 209 00:12:21,250 --> 00:12:25,810 It's like this pressure to do things a certain way. And I'm like, no, 210 00:12:25,810 --> 00:12:30,130 like you just need to get to know each other. You need to date. And you know, 211 00:12:30,130 --> 00:12:31,840 if you meet the right person and you know, 212 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:34,570 within like a week or two or a month that, you know, you want to be together, 213 00:12:34,570 --> 00:12:36,970 then by all means get married. That's a wonderful thing. 214 00:12:37,540 --> 00:12:40,000 I don't have these rules that, Hey, you have to be, 215 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:42,370 you have to date for four months. You have to date for a year. 216 00:12:42,410 --> 00:12:44,770 Then you have to be engaged for a year. Like, I think that's stupid. 217 00:12:44,770 --> 00:12:48,640 If you know, you've met the right person, just go for it. I mean, God loves you. 218 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:50,320 He's guarding you and protecting you. Like, 219 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:54,520 I think what really bogs down Christianity are, 220 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:59,080 all these unwritten rules that we put on ourselves and we put on other 221 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:02,290 people. And I think that pushes people away. Well, 222 00:13:02,650 --> 00:13:04,450 that's not what God says to do. 223 00:13:05,500 --> 00:13:09,040 He says to focus on him and when you meditate on his law, 224 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:12,280 then you're not going to be consumed with all these other laws and all these 225 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:14,390 other regulations. And you know, you're, 226 00:13:14,390 --> 00:13:16,960 you're not going to be concerned with other people think about you. 227 00:13:18,250 --> 00:13:21,610 And God was very clear about that. Even in the book of Psalms, 228 00:13:21,610 --> 00:13:26,080 this actually goes back to Genesis of God's love for us and how he doesn't want 229 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:29,800 us to view ourselves the way that other people view us. 230 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:32,290 He wants us to view ourselves as he views us. 231 00:13:32,680 --> 00:13:35,800 And that's out of love and kindness as a loving father loves his children. 232 00:13:36,490 --> 00:13:37,780 So you, 233 00:13:37,780 --> 00:13:42,550 you have to be mindful of not taking things to the extreme. 234 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:47,590 And so I have since gone to a new church where things are not extreme, 235 00:13:48,190 --> 00:13:49,810 you know, they do believe in God's holy word, 236 00:13:49,810 --> 00:13:51,760 but they're not there to brow beat you. Cause I, 237 00:13:51,790 --> 00:13:55,080 I really looked for a good church. I mean, I really scoped it out, 238 00:13:55,100 --> 00:13:56,950 went to different churches, looked online. 239 00:13:56,950 --> 00:13:59,740 I wanted to see what they actually practice what they say and do. 240 00:14:00,370 --> 00:14:03,370 And it does what they say and do match up with God's holy word, 241 00:14:03,970 --> 00:14:06,730 because I've been to churches that were just too strict. I couldn't stand it. 242 00:14:06,730 --> 00:14:09,160 It was, there were some churches that were so strict. 243 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:11,620 There was like a Colt and some of them were practicing a call. And I was like, 244 00:14:11,620 --> 00:14:15,130 well, I'm not staying here for sure. So, um, 245 00:14:15,390 --> 00:14:17,050 let's go on to the rest of the song. 246 00:14:17,710 --> 00:14:20,950 It says that person is like a tree planted by streams of water. 247 00:14:22,180 --> 00:14:25,510 That verses verse three in this, in the first song. 248 00:14:25,570 --> 00:14:27,160 And what I love about that is that it says, 249 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:30,610 notice this is that person is like a tree planted by streams of water. 250 00:14:31,210 --> 00:14:34,960 It doesn't say a forest is planted near a stream of water. 251 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:38,740 It doesn't say a community is planted near a stream of water. 252 00:14:38,740 --> 00:14:42,340 It says that person is like a tree planted by streams of water. 253 00:14:42,340 --> 00:14:46,660 It's very individual. So you, God wants us to be very individualistic. 254 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:50,680 I think sometimes where people get confused with within Christianity and within 255 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:52,340 any religion is that, you know, 256 00:14:52,340 --> 00:14:55,070 when you come together as a community or a collective, 257 00:14:55,460 --> 00:14:58,250 that doesn't mean you lose your individuality. You know, 258 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:01,490 God made you for a reason. He made you an individual because he loves you. 259 00:15:01,850 --> 00:15:04,190 He doesn't want you to sell off for any reason. 260 00:15:04,190 --> 00:15:06,230 He doesn't want you to change because of people. 261 00:15:06,860 --> 00:15:11,810 He wants you to change because of him because people are not God and they 262 00:15:11,810 --> 00:15:15,520 don't know your heart, they don't know your soul, but God does. So he, 263 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:18,920 he very specifically speaks to us on an individual basis, 264 00:15:18,950 --> 00:15:23,120 even though we come together and worship as a community and have fellowship 265 00:15:23,930 --> 00:15:26,330 are first and foremost, you know, 266 00:15:26,330 --> 00:15:31,070 responsibility as a person is to have fellowship with God. 267 00:15:31,730 --> 00:15:35,210 And then you take that next baby step and you have fellowship with other 268 00:15:35,210 --> 00:15:39,830 believers and you keep growing in your face that way. You're, you know, 269 00:15:40,010 --> 00:15:42,350 religion, doesn't start with people. It starts with God. 270 00:15:42,380 --> 00:15:47,210 And I think one of the biggest mistakes that Christianity makes is it puts 271 00:15:47,210 --> 00:15:50,750 too big of an emphasis on people and not a big enough emphasis on God, because, 272 00:15:50,750 --> 00:15:53,150 you know, without God, we don't have a religion, 273 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:58,300 so we need God in our lives. So you, 274 00:15:58,370 --> 00:16:02,420 if it's one of those things that you really shouldn't put the cart before the 275 00:16:02,420 --> 00:16:04,940 horse, otherwise you're not going to go anywhere. 276 00:16:06,050 --> 00:16:07,640 So let's go on to the next verse. It says, 277 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:11,930 which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither whatever they do 278 00:16:11,930 --> 00:16:12,763 prospers. 279 00:16:14,090 --> 00:16:17,300 So the way I look at that is you have fruit, 280 00:16:17,330 --> 00:16:22,250 different types of fruit in your life that will, that will our word, this, 281 00:16:22,250 --> 00:16:26,780 that will bloom. And they will. How word this. 282 00:16:26,870 --> 00:16:27,890 There's some of the things I, I say, 283 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:32,180 you basically have different fruits that you will yield in different seasons of 284 00:16:32,180 --> 00:16:35,870 your life as you grow, not only just in your faith, 285 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:38,090 but as you grow in maturity as an adult. 286 00:16:38,420 --> 00:16:42,140 So whatever you know made you happy as a 20 year old is probably not going to 287 00:16:42,140 --> 00:16:44,600 bring you happiness as a 40 year old or a 60 year old. 288 00:16:45,110 --> 00:16:49,070 So some people get really frustrated with that and they don't understand that. 289 00:16:49,070 --> 00:16:49,490 You know, 290 00:16:49,490 --> 00:16:54,110 we are continuously growing and changing as individual and as a person and it is 291 00:16:54,110 --> 00:16:57,860 enriching our soul and the way that it, 292 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:01,850 it enriches our soul is that we are not staying stagnant. 293 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:05,060 We are continuing to grow closer to God. 294 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:10,250 And the way that you grow closer to God is that you change as a person 295 00:17:11,450 --> 00:17:15,170 and that you, you long to see him. You long to be closer to God, 296 00:17:15,170 --> 00:17:18,980 but as you grow older, you long to be closer to him, um, 297 00:17:19,370 --> 00:17:21,440 in a different way, if that makes sense. 298 00:17:22,490 --> 00:17:26,030 But then it goes on to say not so the wicked they're like chaff, 299 00:17:26,060 --> 00:17:30,320 that the wind blows away. I've learned that wicked people, 300 00:17:30,380 --> 00:17:34,010 evil people, not very good people, bad people, however you want to word it. 301 00:17:34,010 --> 00:17:36,560 Cause there are different types of evil and there's different types of bad 302 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:41,120 people. Not all bad. People are evil. Some bad people are good people. 303 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:42,830 They just make extremely bad decisions. 304 00:17:42,830 --> 00:17:45,650 But there are some people that they really are evil and wicked right down to 305 00:17:45,650 --> 00:17:47,480 their core because they choose to be that way. 306 00:17:48,350 --> 00:17:51,660 But what it's talking about here is that the wicked, you know, 307 00:17:52,590 --> 00:17:56,670 basically God's not going to put up with really bad behavior like that, 308 00:17:57,390 --> 00:17:59,940 even though he loves his children. You know, 309 00:18:00,210 --> 00:18:02,250 our heavenly father is just that he's, he's a father. 310 00:18:02,250 --> 00:18:06,570 He's going to discipline his children one way or another and you know, 311 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:07,860 whatever actions we take, 312 00:18:07,860 --> 00:18:10,860 they need to be good and true because I've learned this. 313 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:14,820 It's mostly from working with, with people both good and bad. 314 00:18:14,850 --> 00:18:18,450 What I've learned is that good people stand the test of time that people do not. 315 00:18:19,500 --> 00:18:23,220 And the reason for that is because bad people, their intentions are not good. 316 00:18:23,670 --> 00:18:26,850 They have character flaws. And instead of working on the character flaws, 317 00:18:26,850 --> 00:18:30,060 they expect other people to just accept them as who they are and not, 318 00:18:30,090 --> 00:18:31,050 and not a good person. 319 00:18:31,950 --> 00:18:35,340 And unfortunately that doesn't stand the test of time in terms of goodness and 320 00:18:35,340 --> 00:18:38,460 holiness and it doesn't lead to a better life. That's what it means. 321 00:18:39,030 --> 00:18:40,680 When you know, evil, 322 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:45,030 wicked people will not be able to stand in front of God and they will not last 323 00:18:45,570 --> 00:18:47,700 because their endeavors are not true. And holy. 324 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:52,830 So if you're going to have an endeavor, make sure it's true and holy that way, 325 00:18:52,830 --> 00:18:55,200 number one, you can draw closer to God. Number two, 326 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:56,730 you can have a really good life. And number three, 327 00:18:56,730 --> 00:18:58,620 you can be prosperous in everything that you do. 328 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,180 And plus also the Lord will guard and protect you. 329 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:07,110 So that's part of God's covenant with us. It says, 330 00:19:07,110 --> 00:19:11,130 therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor centers in the assembly 331 00:19:11,130 --> 00:19:11,963 of the righteous. 332 00:19:12,570 --> 00:19:15,600 What that tells me if that last verse nor centers in the assembly of the 333 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:17,610 righteous I've learned over the years, 334 00:19:17,610 --> 00:19:20,550 it's very difficult for me to be around a bunch of bad people. 335 00:19:21,210 --> 00:19:23,790 And I'll give you an example. Like there was one time, um, 336 00:19:23,820 --> 00:19:27,300 I was going into a business meeting and I could just tell there was a funky vibe 337 00:19:27,300 --> 00:19:29,640 in the room. And by the end of the meeting, 338 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:33,630 I realized why I was uncomfortable is because every other person in that room 339 00:19:34,740 --> 00:19:38,670 was not a good person. They were just saying really grotesque things. 340 00:19:38,670 --> 00:19:43,200 And this was a professional business meeting. This was not like at a frat house. 341 00:19:43,260 --> 00:19:46,380 You know, this wasn't like at a barbecue. You know, 342 00:19:46,380 --> 00:19:49,680 this is a very professional business meeting, excuse me. 343 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:52,380 And these people were not behaving in a very professional way. 344 00:19:53,070 --> 00:19:55,020 And we're talking about money and finances, 345 00:19:55,530 --> 00:19:58,230 and we're talking about the future of the company. And I just kind of realized, 346 00:19:58,230 --> 00:20:01,500 okay, this is not where I need to be in my career. 347 00:20:01,500 --> 00:20:04,740 And also I don't want to make friends with people like this because he used 348 00:20:04,740 --> 00:20:06,210 associate with is who you become. 349 00:20:06,900 --> 00:20:11,190 So you need to be careful who you have in assembly with you, 350 00:20:11,190 --> 00:20:13,920 who are you associating with? And that there, there are times that, you know, 351 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:18,000 you have to talk to people, be around people that you don't like or don't know, 352 00:20:18,390 --> 00:20:20,670 but you don't have to let them into your life. 353 00:20:21,420 --> 00:20:23,310 You don't have to make them a part of your lifestyle. 354 00:20:23,310 --> 00:20:24,690 You don't have to let them in your house. 355 00:20:24,690 --> 00:20:26,730 You don't have to have lunch with them. You know, 356 00:20:26,730 --> 00:20:29,130 you need to be careful who you associate with because again, 357 00:20:29,130 --> 00:20:33,510 whoever you associate with is who you become. So if you want a better life, 358 00:20:33,660 --> 00:20:35,880 you know, say for example, you want to be rich. Well, 359 00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:37,650 you need to start being around wealthy people. 360 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:39,720 You need to learn what they did to get rich. 361 00:20:40,170 --> 00:20:42,690 You need to learn how to manage your money. You know, 362 00:20:42,750 --> 00:20:45,240 if you want to be a better professor at a university, 363 00:20:45,540 --> 00:20:49,870 you need to be around really talented professionals or maybe really talented 364 00:20:49,870 --> 00:20:51,010 motivational speakers, 365 00:20:51,970 --> 00:20:54,820 or maybe you need to get involved in speech and debate classes, 366 00:20:54,850 --> 00:20:57,010 things like that. You need to be around who you, 367 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:02,500 who you want to emulate or someone that can mentor you and who you want 368 00:21:02,500 --> 00:21:06,310 to be in terms of being successful in your career and in your life. You know, 369 00:21:06,310 --> 00:21:08,230 like for example, when, uh, 370 00:21:08,260 --> 00:21:10,630 when medical students are going through medical school, 371 00:21:11,350 --> 00:21:13,960 they pick what type of internship they want to do. 372 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:16,750 And then they go intern there. Why? Because they want to be like that. You know, 373 00:21:16,750 --> 00:21:21,280 if a surgeon, if they, um, if the medical student wants to become a surgeon, 374 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:23,770 they're not going to do an internship at a dermatology clinic, 375 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:25,570 they're going to do their internship, 376 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:27,640 probably at a surgery center or a hospital, 377 00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:29,560 because that's where they need to be. 378 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:33,910 It's the same thing in our faith and also our careers, wherever you want to be. 379 00:21:33,910 --> 00:21:36,070 That's where you need to figure out how to get there. 380 00:21:36,070 --> 00:21:39,340 And you need to be around like-minded people like people that support you, 381 00:21:39,340 --> 00:21:42,550 people that love you, people that care about you care about your welfare. 382 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:44,980 They're not there to bring your, to bring you down. 383 00:21:45,010 --> 00:21:46,060 They're there to lift you up. 384 00:21:46,630 --> 00:21:50,020 And that's especially important when you have tough trials and hardships in your 385 00:21:50,020 --> 00:21:50,290 life. 386 00:21:50,290 --> 00:21:53,200 Like you can be doing the job that you've always loved and that you've always 387 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:56,740 wanted, but that doesn't mean other other stuff won't happen to you. You know, 388 00:21:56,740 --> 00:22:01,360 maybe, you know, your wife leaves you or your girlfriend leaves you, or, 389 00:22:01,390 --> 00:22:05,860 um, or maybe, you know, you get in a car wreck or maybe, you know, 390 00:22:05,860 --> 00:22:08,050 you get sued and you lose your house. You know, 391 00:22:08,050 --> 00:22:10,750 there's all these different scenarios that can happen, but you know, 392 00:22:11,020 --> 00:22:13,450 you still have the really good job per se, 393 00:22:13,450 --> 00:22:15,850 but there might be other bad things that happen in your life. 394 00:22:16,150 --> 00:22:19,990 So you really need to treasure those moments when you're around good time, 395 00:22:19,990 --> 00:22:23,110 people that are like-minded, you're just like you. 396 00:22:23,140 --> 00:22:26,680 So that way that will help cushion the blow of hardships in your life. 397 00:22:27,070 --> 00:22:29,680 And it will help get you through to the next level of happiness. 398 00:22:29,860 --> 00:22:34,390 And it will get you to the next level of success in your career, you know, 399 00:22:34,390 --> 00:22:37,570 cause don't ever go backwards, always go forward. Always, always, always. 400 00:22:38,110 --> 00:22:41,650 And example of that, I've used in my life is when I lost my job, 401 00:22:41,650 --> 00:22:45,530 there was a company merger and I got, let go. I was not happy about, 402 00:22:45,550 --> 00:22:47,380 but you know, I kind of read the writing on the wall, 403 00:22:47,380 --> 00:22:50,890 but so instead of just taking any job, 404 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:52,990 like I knew what money I was making at the time. 405 00:22:53,710 --> 00:22:56,890 And so I was not going to take a job that I was going to get paid less because I 406 00:22:56,890 --> 00:22:58,360 did not want to be desperate for work. 407 00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:01,600 So what I did was not only did I apply to jobs that were at the same income 408 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:04,870 level, but I applied to jobs that were double or triple my income. 409 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:09,550 That's how you need to handle a job loss. And that situation, you know, 410 00:23:09,550 --> 00:23:13,300 if you're working as a corporate accountant or something, 411 00:23:14,020 --> 00:23:17,830 you know, do not take a job where you're a day, laborer, nothing, 412 00:23:17,830 --> 00:23:21,550 he gets day labor, but your skill sets are different. 413 00:23:22,300 --> 00:23:26,680 And whenever you take a job that is not within your 414 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:28,660 skillset and below your skill set. 415 00:23:28,660 --> 00:23:30,700 And I don't mean that in an arrogant or pompous way, 416 00:23:31,270 --> 00:23:33,490 whatever job you take after you get, 417 00:23:33,490 --> 00:23:37,180 let go pretty much defines where you're going next. 418 00:23:37,810 --> 00:23:41,080 So if you change, you know, industries, 419 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:44,260 make sure it's the right industry you want to go into, you know, 420 00:23:44,260 --> 00:23:47,570 if you're having to take a job because it's lower pay, make sure it's temporary, 421 00:23:48,020 --> 00:23:50,630 make sure, you know, you let your employer know, Hey, 422 00:23:50,630 --> 00:23:53,690 I need this job because I need to support my family while I'm here. 423 00:23:54,260 --> 00:23:56,270 I will do the best I can. But I just want you to know, 424 00:23:56,750 --> 00:23:59,840 I do need to make more money to better support myself and my family. 425 00:24:00,140 --> 00:24:03,860 So I will need to go to interviews, you know, during the week, you know, 426 00:24:03,860 --> 00:24:07,670 maybe once or twice a week, but I'll give you a heads up. But in that meantime, 427 00:24:07,940 --> 00:24:11,990 I will give you everything I have in terms of my, my best work. And you know, 428 00:24:12,260 --> 00:24:14,540 you know, maybe this job will work out and I'll get promoted, 429 00:24:14,540 --> 00:24:17,750 but this is what I'm looking at. I've done that in the past. 430 00:24:17,930 --> 00:24:21,140 And every employer I've said that to you has completely understood where I'm 431 00:24:21,140 --> 00:24:25,250 coming from because most people understand what it's like to have a financial 432 00:24:25,250 --> 00:24:27,650 hardship. And when you lose your job, 433 00:24:27,980 --> 00:24:30,440 you at least need something coming in to pay the bills. 434 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:32,270 It doesn't mean you're going to stay there, 435 00:24:32,810 --> 00:24:36,110 but you at least need something that's going to help you move on in the right 436 00:24:36,110 --> 00:24:37,100 direction in your life. 437 00:24:38,330 --> 00:24:41,810 So then it goes on to say for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, 438 00:24:41,900 --> 00:24:43,790 but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. 439 00:24:44,300 --> 00:24:48,140 What I love about that verse is it says the Lord watches over the way of the 440 00:24:48,140 --> 00:24:48,973 righteous, 441 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:54,380 because when you realize who your heavenly father is and who you are in Christ, 442 00:24:54,380 --> 00:24:57,620 Jesus, you are guarded and protected all the days of your life. 443 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:01,010 That doesn't mean you won't have slings and arrows coming at you in terms of 444 00:25:01,010 --> 00:25:01,460 hardship, 445 00:25:01,460 --> 00:25:05,570 but it does mean that the Lord watches over you and he will help you get through 446 00:25:05,570 --> 00:25:08,990 anything and everything. Because for the longest time when I was younger, 447 00:25:10,100 --> 00:25:12,080 I thought that meant that I would never suffer. Well, 448 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:13,910 that's not realistic at all in life. 449 00:25:14,630 --> 00:25:17,690 But what it means is that whatever you go through, God is there for you. 450 00:25:17,690 --> 00:25:21,410 And sometimes the hardships I've had my life have always led to something 451 00:25:21,410 --> 00:25:25,760 better. That doesn't mean that God set us up for failure. Not by any means. 452 00:25:25,820 --> 00:25:30,560 God doesn't want destruction. Our life, he doesn't with death disease hardship, 453 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:33,080 or, you know, lack of money. Not he doesn't, 454 00:25:33,140 --> 00:25:36,290 he's not the purpose that he's not the person that orchestrates that, 455 00:25:37,140 --> 00:25:40,250 that that's not what God does. God is a very loving father. 456 00:25:40,700 --> 00:25:42,470 He gives us free will in this world, 457 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:46,640 which also gives free will for some bad things to happen. 458 00:25:47,180 --> 00:25:50,180 But they're not from God because everything that comes from God is good and 459 00:25:50,180 --> 00:25:52,790 holy. And when I'd learned to look at the good things, 460 00:25:52,790 --> 00:25:55,940 because I was always focusing on the bad, I was like, why is this happening? 461 00:25:55,970 --> 00:25:59,210 You know, this is ridiculous. You know, why can't my life get better? 462 00:26:00,140 --> 00:26:03,920 And so once I focused on the good things, focused on what I have, 463 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:07,700 what I currently have and what I want, then things got tremendously better. 464 00:26:07,700 --> 00:26:10,700 I wasn't focusing on the bad. I wasn't focusing on the hardship. 465 00:26:11,090 --> 00:26:12,430 Then I realized how, 466 00:26:12,430 --> 00:26:15,770 how much I actually was blessed and that I don't need to worry about anything. 467 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:19,490 So when you focus on the good, that doesn't mean you're ignoring the hardship. 468 00:26:19,490 --> 00:26:22,910 It means you're dealing with the hardship in a very positive, good manner. 469 00:26:23,450 --> 00:26:26,690 And you're going to push through it a lot quicker than if you were focusing just 470 00:26:26,690 --> 00:26:29,420 on the, on the bad events in life. And I'll give an example. 471 00:26:29,930 --> 00:26:33,110 If all you're ever doing is watching the news and you know, 472 00:26:33,110 --> 00:26:36,590 letting your brain take in all this horrible, horrific news every day, 473 00:26:36,590 --> 00:26:38,930 every day, all day, multiple times a day, 474 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:41,030 what kind of mindset are you going to have? 475 00:26:41,030 --> 00:26:42,530 And what kind of life are you going to have? What kind of. 476 00:26:42,530 --> 00:26:44,130 Conversations are you going to have with people? 477 00:26:44,790 --> 00:26:46,560 You're not going to be a very positive individual. 478 00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:49,920 You're not going to have very positive conversations and more than likely, 479 00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:53,400 you're not going to be a very positive person to work with or to go out with. 480 00:26:54,390 --> 00:26:58,350 So flip that coin, change your life. 481 00:26:58,590 --> 00:27:01,470 Stop watching the news all the time. I'll look at it this way. 482 00:27:01,500 --> 00:27:06,120 If a catastrophe happens, I will get a text on my phone. Other than that, 483 00:27:06,150 --> 00:27:09,750 I don't ever turn on the TV unless it's to watch something that I want to watch 484 00:27:09,750 --> 00:27:12,720 from like back in the day from like 10 or 20 years ago. Like I just, 485 00:27:12,750 --> 00:27:16,740 I don't watch a lot of current stuff because sometimes it's just too negative 486 00:27:16,740 --> 00:27:20,160 and I want to focus on the good, because I want good things in my life. 487 00:27:20,910 --> 00:27:24,420 But so that is the end of this lovely podcast. I pray that you have enjoyed it. 488 00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:28,980 Um, if you would like to submit feedback or have a question or concern, or, 489 00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:32,790 you know, you just want to, you know, have a prayer request or something, 490 00:27:32,850 --> 00:27:35,850 be sure to email me, there's a link on my podcast website. 491 00:27:36,090 --> 00:27:37,410 You can send that to me directly. 492 00:27:37,710 --> 00:27:40,980 So until next time I pray that you have a wonderful week and I pray that you're 493 00:27:40,980 --> 00:27:44,250 very happy and blessed and everything that you do. Amen. Bye-bye.